Posts

caretaker

caretaker

At one of my shows this year, a fan told me that it was unfortunate that I couldn’t produce as much art as I did prior to becoming a mother. I nodded and tried to absorb what she was saying. It wasn’t offensive, it was merely her expressing her wish for more art.

In 2015, our family grew by one. Our tiny human consumes and directs our life. She also brings joy, light and laughter into our home every day. She changed me as a person, as an artist. So when she fell ill this weekend (don’t worry, she’s very slowly on the the mend) I cancelled my trip to DC. I had a fleeting thought about my work and about my conversation from earlier this year.

I love my family and I love my career. They overlap, sing together, sing apart, and occasionally have friction. My days are scheduled and my art making hours are restricted. Multiple times a day, my daughter comes into my studio, sits on my lap and asks for one of my pens. Every so often, I drop by her room to sing a song with her and our nanny or distract her while we sneak a jacket on for their morning walk. I welcome these forays from my work.

I do produce less art. To think that I could be the same artist and produce the same quantity of work would be foolish. To say that parenting changes you is an understatement.  I chose to cancel my trip and take care of my baby, but I will still raise money for causes I believe in.  All proceeds for the sales of the print below (past and future) will be donated to the ACLU.

thegoodfight

Finding the balance between my family and career has made me sharply aware that my power – our power – isn’t merely in our ability to stay persistent in our  work – it is our ability to change, adapt and continue to do good work.


Original watercolor sold. Prints available here.

explorers

explorers

Process photos ^_^

explorersprocess1 explorersprocess

In preparation for something I can’t talk about yet, I will be producing watercolors more regularly! This is my first of many ^_^

4×6, on arches watercolor paper, SOLD

hamster wizard

wizard with hamsters in beard by nidhi chanani

Hamster Wizard (SOLD)

boy carrying pumpkins and puppy by nidhi chanani

Pumpkin Pup

All original inktober drawings are available for purchase for $30 (including shipping) if you’re the first to contact me! They measure 2.5×3.5 inches on bristol board made with a combination of brush pen, color markers, microns and a little dash of colerase pencils. I will update the post with sold if they’re gone ^_^

leaf play

leafplay

My theme for inktober is fall favorites. If you have a fall favorite you’d like to see my draw, leave a comment and I may draw it!

One of the things I enjoy the most about the inktober challenge is using color in harmony with the ink. I realized that if I don’t ink the outlines of all the elements (in this case the leaves), I can give the appearance of a foreground and middle ground. That means that the ink can pop forward and the color, even though its everywhere, has a more subtle quality.

SOLD! They measure 2.5×3.5 inches on bristol board made with a combination of brush pen, color markers, microns and a little dash of colerase pencils. I will update the post with sold if they’re gone ^_^

 

night owl

nightowl

another #watercolor wednesday! purchase info on myinstagram^_^

blooming

blooming

another #watercolor wednesday! purchase info on my instagram ^_^

turtle love

turtlelove

 

turtleleaves

 

today i have two turtles for #watercolor wednesday! purchase info on my instagram ^_^

otter delight

otterdelight

Another watercolor Wednesday, purchase info on myinstagram^_^

storyteller

storyteller

Another watercolor Wednesday, purchase info on my instagram ^_^

fairy wings

fairywings

Another watercolor Wednesday, purchase info on my instagram ^_^